


Girl Next Door

by msquared



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:07:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24311017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msquared/pseuds/msquared
Summary: It started off as a friendship, like many do. She was just the girl next door, with a dog who had a proclivity for rolling in disgusting things and he would just happen to be the one tricked into giving him a bath. They were just friends right? Friends who sat too close, held gazes too long, texted all night long. Just friends, right?
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Original Male Character(s), Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I LOVE modern au's, especially neighbor ones. I decided to take a crack at writing my own. Enjoy!

'Looks like someone is finally moving in next door,' Marlene whisper-yelled through the house, peering through the blinds in the front room. The place next door had been vacant for months, after the previous tenant left in the middle of the night. Not that they were missed, especially after dumping their dog in the backyard. 

Lily glanced up from typing out her latest email to work. 'Mar, you are kind of being creepy.'

The blonde gasped and feigned hurt. 'You keep that in mind the next time you want the life story of your Tinder blokes,' Lily rolled her eyes but kept quiet, Marlene McKinnon was great at many things but nothing compared to her ability to find out everything she wanted to know about someone on social media. 

Louie, the aforementioned dumped beagle, padded out into the living room and proceeded to curl up next to Lily on the couch. He burrowed under the blankets, pressing his cold nose against Lily's bare freckled thigh and she jumped. 

'Are you going to keep staring out the window until they get here? The landlord only just dropped off the welcome basket,' Lily asked her roommate who turned back towards her. 

'Do you think they'd miss the welcome basket if we took it?' 

'Marlene! That's stealing!'

'Okay but those chocolates are delicious and you know it,' she countered and Lily stuck out her tongue. She was right, those chocolates were like heaven on Earth. But before she could decide what to do with her roommate, Marlene gasped again and ducked below the windowsill. 

'What now?' Lily laughed.

"They're fucking hot!' Seeing the look on Marlene's face only made Lily laugh harder but she set her laptop aside and walked over to the window. 

Marlene yanked her down to crouch next to her and together, they peeked out. 

Again, Marlene was right. It appeared to be three of them and indeed, they were quite attractive. In fact, so attractive both girls were speechless, a rare feat for the tenants of House 237. 

The first to exit the moving van with a load of boxes was lanky with sandy brown hair, his skin pale in comparison to the rest. Lily couldn't help but wonder if he was sickly as he yelled at the other two to quit messing around and help.

'Alright Moony, don't get your panties in a twist,' the shorter one retorted--What kind of name is Moony? Lily thought-- and he came into view. He had a Johnny Drop vibe, with his charcoal hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his skull. Tattoos littered his arms and Marlene moaned her approval. Admittedly, he was quite striking but then the last tenant came into view and if Lily believed in love at first sight, it hit her then. 

He was taller than the rest, lanky as hell. Square framed glasses and hair that stuck out in all directions, leaving Lily to wonder if it was as soft as it looked. If she wasn't such a chicken, going out in the front yard for a tan in her best bikini seemed like a grand idea to get his eyes on her. 

'See something you like?' Marlene muttered from her spot next to her and Lily smirked. 

'Suddenly, I think Louie needs to go out,' she replied and the girls snuck away from the window. 'Alright Mar, let's be cool.' she warned.

Marlene flipped her hair, rolling her eyes. She had the tendency to flirt with anything that moved, and it seemed that now wouldn't be an exception. The blonde paused by the mirror in their front hallway, fixing her hair and purposefully lowering the burgundy v-neck she was wearing. "Oh Lily dear, we are just being neighborly,' she blew a kiss to the redhead.

Lily grabbed Louie's leash and snapped it onto his collar, obsessively checking to make sure his tags were still attached. It took a long time for Louie to come out of his shell since they reached him and it left a foul taste in her mouth for her to think that Louie was afraid of being left behind again. But after all, he was also a beagle and had a proclivity of trying to escape in search of interesting smells. 

Marlene pretended to be wildly interested in the potted plants next to their door as they exited their flat, of course the Three Hot Neighbors were back in their van and out of sight. Louie immediately pulled Lily towards the grass and stuck his nose to the ground in search of something dead. He had an awful habit of rolling in decomposing wildlife, meaning Lily had to bathe him as Marlene's 'couldn't handle the smell'. 

'Oi! There's neighbors! And they're girls!' they heard a shout behind them and wheeled around, meeting the Johnny Depp doppleganger. He was followed quickly by the other two, both chasting him for his words. 

'Sirius! You tosser,' The taller one stepped forward and Lily stepped back. Holy shit, he was better looking up close. Lanky as all sin, his t-shirt hugged his chest in all the right places and ignited a fire in her stomach. She should not be this attracted to her neighbor, that would only end in disaster. 'Hi, I'm James Potter.' He stuck out his hand and she blinked before realizing the appropriate thing would be to shake it, not use it to climb him like a tree. 

'Uh, Lily Evans. And this is Louie.' She stammered out, smiling and pointing at her dog, who had taken it upon himself to plant at James's feet. 'And this is Marlene. We live there,' she blurted out, pointing at the brownstone flat they called home. 

James laughed and nodded, turning to the others. 'The idiot is Sirius and the shy one is Remus,' the mentioned men nodded and waved. 

'It's wonderful to meet you,' Marlene purred and Lily shot her a look. Hooking up with neighbors is a surefire way to awkward encounters. 'Lily and I just wanted to introduce ourselves and invite you to the little party we would be having on Saturday!'

'What kind of party?' Sirius shouted and bounded over, pushing his thick hair out of his face. His grey eyes danced with excitement. 

'A fun one, of course!'

'I'm game. I know James is,' Sirius elbowed the taller man who was typing away on his phone. 'Count us in. Need us to bring anything?'

'Just your dazzling personalities,' Marlene winked and started pulling Lily inside. 'It was great chatting but we have to get ready for book club!'

Man, Marlene really knew how to lie through her teeth.

Lily shut the door behind her as they reentered their flat, unclipping Louie who bounded off for a drink. 'Since when are we having a party?'

'Since we needed an excuse to get to know them better!'

Lily scoffed. 'We could have just invited them over for dinner or drinks.'

'Yeah but I need 4-drink Lily to flirt with James and that'll only happen at one of my parties.'

'Why would I want to flirt with James?'

'Puh-lease you want to climb that man like a tree.' Mar retorted, grinning wolfishly when Lily turned beet red. 'It's settled, started tweeting and getting people to come. It's time to party!'

Lily pulled out her phone, knowing this could only end badly.

Or would it?


	2. IDK You Yet

8:15 PM

Marl: Are they here yet?

Lily glanced at her phone and rolled her eyes, scanning the room. There were a handful of people at their place, all drinking already. Most of them were Marlene's uni friends with a few of Lily's scattered in. She was nursing her first drink, Crown Apple with a splash of cranberry. 

Reds: No, it's still early. Calm down flirt. 

Marlene responded with a middle finger emoji and Lily laughed, tucking her phone into her back pocket. She had decided on a loose tank top with celestial graphics and her favorite high waisted shorts. 

There was a knock at their door and since she was closer, she crossed the room to answer. It was of course, the boys and they grinned at her. Sirius was holding a fifth of whiskey and Remus had a pack of beer. 

'Hi guys! You didn't have to bring anything,' she smiled and moved aside to let them in. James paused, grinning down at her in a way that made butterflies erupt in her nervous system. 

'Yeah we did, Sirius drinks like a fish.' 

'I'm more fun when I do,' Sirius made quick work of breaking the seal and taking a long swig of the dark liquor. 'Shot for the lovely host?'

Lily raised an eyebrow and took the bottle. 'Careful, love, that's 94 proof.' James muttered and her heart soared. But nonetheless, she tipped the bottle back. It was gloriously smooth and warmed her insides so much she shivered. 

'4 Drink Lily has come to play,' Marlene approached the group and smirked. Lily handed the bottle back to Sirius, careful to wipe the red lipstick from the rim. 

'4 Drink Lily sounds like fun,' Sirius replied. 

'Maybe you'll get to meet her,' Lily bounced on her toes, sticking her hands in her back pocket. 'However she's more of a drink pacer than a shot taker.'

Sirius winked 'It's a sprint, not a marathon. Get drunk quick and have a glorious night.'

Marlene laughed her flirty laugh, placing her hand on Sirius's bicep. 'That is so true! Lils rarely ever does shots with me!' 

The pair traded the whiskey bottle off for a moment and Lily found her chance to escape, wandering into the backyard to check on Louie. Unknown to her, she was being followed. Louie bounded past her and into James's long legs, rubbing his body on the man. Honestly, Louie acted more like a cat than a dog most days.

'I suppose I am being a terrible host and all, leaving you to fend for yourself and all.' she covered her mouth with a giggle, the whiskey hitting her harder than she would care to admit.

'Don't worry, I already had my scathing neighbor review ready,' he laughed, running his hand through his unruly black hair. God, she wanted to do the same.

Lily laughed, tucking her red hair behind her ear. It was getting humid out and her hair was not agreeing with it. 'So how do you like London?' 

'Sirius and I grew up not too far outside of London, so it's like coming home,' James replied, flipping the tab of the beer he had in his hand. It cracked and fizzed, James taking a sip before continuing. 'Both my parents are professors at the uni so we grew up running around on campus.'

'That's rather exciting, what made you move into the city?'

'Ah, we are here for recording our demo.' James rubbed the back of the neck sheepishly, as if he was embarrassed. Fit and a musician? 'I play lead, Sirius is our drummer and Remus plays the bass.'

'You play? What kind of music?' 

'Mostly like a mix of Ed Sheeran, Anson Seabra and Vance Joy,' James replied, fixing his haphazard glasses. 

'I would love to hear you play sometime,' Lily smiled. 

'There is a bar near here that we have a standing show every Saturdays--Godric's? Have you heard of it?' James asked.

She had heard of it, it was a popular spot for people in the young and mid twenties. Lily had frequented the bar with Marlene several times and she nodded, reminiscing on all the drunken nights she had with her best friend. 

They stayed there for a while until Lily's buzz faded and she realized how much they actually had in common. It was quite refreshing, talking to someone who actually had passion for their work. 

'What about you? What do you do for work?' James asked, taking the last swig of his beer as Lily realized how quickly she was sobering up. The anxiety she felt started to slowly creep in, like early morning fog casting it's mist over town. 

'I work for the local theater department, mostly managing the social media for their performances!'

'That's brilliant--do you act as well?'

Lily laughed with a hint of bitterness. 'Not so much anymore, I'd like to do more but not right now.' 

James nodded and then glanced over her shoulder with a curious expression on his face. 'It appears that our flatmates are getting along fairly well.' Lily whirled around to see Marlene and Sirius headed directly to them, shot glasses and liquor in tow. 

'What drink count Lily are we at?' Marlene sang, shoving a shot glass in the redhead's hands. She poured out Tito's, splashing Lily's hand as she did. 

'One, you ass.' Lily replied, shaking the tequila off her hand. Sirius in turn, shoved the bottom he was holding at James after portioning himself out a glass. 

'Bottoms up then babes!' Marlene clinked her glass to Lily's and cheered as Lily downed the liquor, letting the liquid burn her throat on the way down. 

'No chaser? Do you want me to die?'

'You are tougher than that, my little firecracker!' Marlene giggled and pushed the tequila back at Lily. 

Sooner than she would care to admit, Sirius and Marlene had gotten her 4 shots deep, which quickly surpassed 4 Drink Lily and hit 6 Drink Lily. Her vision was hazy but she was elated with joy, dancing in the kitchen with Marlene to popular 2000's hits. Once Marlene caught wind that the boys could play, she demanded James get his guitar so she could hear. At this point, most of their guests had left, leaving the neighbors to get to know each other. Remus sat on the patio, a cigarette lit between his lips, watching the scene unfold with a curious expression on his face. Sirius had given up drinking and had ordered pizza an hour ago, adamant that if had only been 5 minutes and damn was he getting hungry. Marlene was busy texting her ex-boyfriend an essay about how pompous he acted and that iceberg lettuce with carrots didn't classify as a salad so therefore he was full of shit. 

James and Lily were belting out choruses to songs. James had ditched his glasses for his prescription sunglasses, loudly strumming chords and yelling out words. Lily was dancing like a maniac, half carrying Louie and half scooting on the floor to follow the beagle around. 

The world was spinning, night was creeping in but in this instance nothing mattered. It was what good stories were made of, the backbone of memories. Pure, uncontainable joy developing into a solid friendship. 

'James, play IDK You Yet,'' Sirius ordered, having finally received his pizza. He attempted to berate the poor delivery driver for his tardiness before remembering he had ordered extra cheese and was thus distracted by his rumbling stomach. Remus, of course, tipped the driver before he left and muttered an apology to the bewildered employee. 

By this time, everyone was settling down in the living room. Marlene had ditched her phone after sending the last text with manical finality. Try to mansplain your way out making a terrible salad that even a rabbit would ignore! She was cuddled up with Louie on the loveseat, passed out. Remus had entered, intent on stealing a slice from Sirius. Lily was attempting to sober up, sipping water from a insulated cup.

James hummed, slowing his frantic fingers to an agreeable pace. The slow rhythm of chords erupted in the room, his fingers moving across strings in a way that made your chest ache. 

How can you miss someone you've never met? Cause I need you now but I don't know you yet.

Suddenly he was the siren, singing from the rocky cliffs and Lily was the dumb-struck fisherman, intend on listening to the beautiful melodies and choruses. She was ready to jump overboard, sink or swim. 

How can you miss someone you've never seen?  
Well tell me, are your eyes brown, blue or green.

As he sang green, his hazel eyes met Lily's green and he winked. Remus lazily harmonized on lines, creating an atmosphere of acoustics. 

I need you now but I don't know you yet. 

The last words had a touch of finality, like the ending of a speech before battle. It was a warcry and Lily shivered with longing. 

'Alright lads, let's let the girls sleep,' James rumbled, never breaking his gaze on Lily. Remus and Sirius mumbled their agreement, quickly saying goodnight and stumbling out the door. 

'That was amazing,' Lily exclaimed, standing to cover Marlene with a blanket. There was no sense in trying to wake her would be more dangerous then trying to wake a hibernating bear. James smiled softly, letting his guitar settle strapped against his back.

'Thanks for having us, I think I speak for all of us when I say we had a great time.'

Lily smiled and reached out to give him a hug. It seemed simple yet so intimate, being enveloped in his arms. They pulled away and James dipped quickly, planting a soft kiss against her forehead.

'Goodnight Lily.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for those who had read! I have been seriously slacking on writing, just writing anything so I'm making this a challenge to myself to just write! I'll go back and probably edit the chapters as I do. But right now I'm just happy to be writing.
> 
> Characters belong to JK Rowling. Music in this chapter is: IDK You Yet by Alexander 23.


End file.
